NCsoft Europe is very pleased to reveal the first details on the exciting new chapter of their globally dominating MMORPG, Lineage II which has amassed a spectacular 17 million gamers from around the world.

The Kamael is the next biggest, free single update in Lineage II history. It?s bigger, better and more compelling than anything we?ve ever done before. The Kamael update is scheduled to launch in December. Lineage II offers the world?s elite MMORPG gamers unrivalled Player versus Player combat (PvP) set against a lush backdrop of exotic creatures, rival clans, castle sieges and an ever-growing fantasy world.

Some of the Kamael expansion highlight features are:

? The most gigantic free update in Lineage II history? Entire new race ? The Kamael? Fortress battles available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!? New lands ? Hellbound, Isle of Souls and Isle of Prayer? New item slots and items to use? Character transfer, name change and gender change services

Today, Tim Tan, Lineage II Producer sat down and described to us some background details of the new race in Lineage II, The Kamael.

Born in the Era of Myths, these mysterious creatures have preserved their own unique culture living within the confines of the Isle of Souls. A haven located way to the west of the Dark Elf Village. Unlike the other five races (Human, Elf, Dark Elf, Orc and Dwarf) that were created by gods, it is speculated that the Kamael were originally created by the giants. In a time long ago, their original purpose was to battle against the Gods and their creatures. When the giants lost their war against the Gods, the Isle of Souls was sealed in the Dimensional Rift to protect the Kamael. Ironically, after a long period of isolation, the Kamael have recently appeared on the continent under the guidance of the Gods.

Many believe that the Kamael were thrown into the world by Grand Kain who enjoys causing chaos and reckoned the Kamael would serve his purpose well. There is yet another possibility that the Kamael were guided to this world by Eva, the Goddess of Water, in order to put a stop to Shilen?s destructive behavior. In any case, they are here to stay and figure to play a prominent role in the current chaos times.

The existing races and the Kamael have since agreed to cooperatively battle the monsters of Aden. Each race has established embassies in their cities, and the secrets of teleporting to the Isle of Souls have been passed along to their leaders.

Technically speaking, the Kamael are a race of fighters and their class choices reflect this proficiency. Male and female Kamael characters have different class paths and possess distinct combat abilities, but both begin their adventuring careers as soldiers. In the early levels, the soldier class provides very basic melee and ranged skills and prepares a Kamael for tougher battles.

Further down the line, a class choice for a male Kamael is the Berserker. A wide spectrum of close-ranged melee abilities highlights this class. Berserkers enjoy standing in the frontlines of a battle and their aggression surpasses that of the Orcs.

Conversely, a later class choice for a female Kamael is the Arbalester. Arbalester specialize in ranged attacks using a Crossbow and uses her trap skill to damage the enemy.

A mutual class choice for both male and female Kamael is Soulbreaker. Soulbreakers have the highest magical ability of all the Kamael classes, and uses a Rapier their main weapon. Soulbreakers are very versatile in the fact that they are hybrid warriors that boast both physical and magical abilities.

The Kamael are mighty one-winged soldiers who have an affinity to dark magic. Male and female Kamael characters have different class paths, but both possess distinct combat abilities.

Kamael automatically absorbs the souls from monsters upon acquiring a certain amount of Experience from them, which then can be used to use many of Kamael skills.

The addition of a new race will appeal to new and veteran players alike by adding a whole new level of depth and strategy to the world of Lineage II.

The Lineage II Public Test Server client is now available to download from: http://www.gamershell.com/download_21882.shtml